Valentine, Cox started running out of players

NEW YORK (AP) - By the time Robin Ventura delivered his game-winning hit in Game 5 of the NL Championship Series on Sunday, Bobby Valentine and Bobby Cox had nearly run out of players.

An LCS record 45 players were used - 23 by the Mets and 22 by the Braves - as New York won 4-3 in 15 innings to close Atlanta's lead to 3-2 in the best-of-7 series.

Valentine used everyone but Al Leiter and Rick Reed, his starting pitchers the previous two nights. And if Ventura hadn't won the game in the 15th, Reed would have pitched the 16th inning.

"I don't think there could have been more moves," Valentine said. "It all started in the fourth inning and the game went 15. Every pitch was important, every play was important."

The only Braves that didn't see action were starters John Smoltz, Kevin Millwood and Tom Glavine, though Smoltz was in the on-deck circle as a possible pinch hitter at one point.

The previous record for players in an LCS game was 39, by San Diego and Atlanta in Game 5 last year. AILING BACK: Roger Cedeno, who leads the Mets in batting in the NLCS, didn't start Game 5 because of back spasms, but ended up scoring the winning run.

Cedeno, who is 6-for-10 in the series, entered the game as a pinch runner in the 15th inning and scored on Robin Ventura's game-winning single.

Cedeno scored the tying run in Game 4 Saturday night on John Olerud's single. Melvin Mora, who started in Cedeno's place in right field, followed closely with the go-ahead run and leapt into Cedeno's arms after crossing home plate.

The Mets were uncertain when Cedeno injured himself.

"He's been bothered now for about the last week with recurring stiffness," manager Bobby Valentine said. "But today he came in with a pretty severe spasm." LUCKY SUIT: For Game 4, Mets general manager Steve Phillips wore the same suit he wore the day New York beat Cincinnati in the wild-card playoff.

Phillips, keeping up with the lucky suit theory, went with the outfit he wore Oct. 3, when the Mets beat Pittsburgh 2-1 on the final day of the season to force the one-game playoff.

The Mets played in their black uniform tops for the second straight game.